Chương 240

Mumud floated near the ceiling of the newly built Magic Tower, the Tower of Limits. The silver-haired magician was reading a thick, heavy book on advanced alchemy combinations. The tower was completely quiet. The only sound was the soft flipping of paper pages. Mumud traced a pale finger over a complex formula. He was trying to figure out how to improve the success rate of his new method to transform into a human again. Suddenly, the mana in the room stirred. Mumud dropped his book.

It hit the stone floor with a loud thud. He felt a huge, sudden burst of energy coming from the eastern wheat fields outside the city walls. It was his own magic. But it was heavily mixed with divine energy and demonic force. The two energies clashed so hard it made the thick stone walls of the tower vibrate. A faint sprinkle of dust fell from the ceiling. Mumud's pale face turned serious.

"Lord Rudra." He knew only one person in the world who used those two opposing energies together. If he was mixing them with Mumud's own magic, there was no doubt. His Lord was in a serious fight. Mumud didn't use the stairs. He floated straight down, exited the tower, and hurried to the adjacent building. Inside the newly built Alchemy Tower, the Tower of Miracles, the air smelled strongly of crushed herbs and boiling water. Elysia stood at a long wooden table, stirring a bubbling glass beaker.

High Witch Elara stood next to her, holding a clipboard. They were deep in discussion regarding a new recipe based on the witches' True Vitality Elixir. Alex stood next to them. The beautiful half-witch was smiling. He had just delivered a new set of customized alchemical tongs to his mother and was happily spending some time with them.

"The healing output is fine," Elysia said. She frowned at the red liquid.

"But the taste is terrible. The vanguard knights complain every time they have to drink it." Elara nodded, writing something down.

"We are relying too much on standard troll blood. It is highly nutritious, but it tastes like rust. If we extract the essence from sweet river-kelp and bind it with the blood, it should mask the flavor entirely."

"We can try that," Elysia agreed.

"We need a new formula to replace the standard health and mana potions. If we can mass-produce something better, the militia will survive longer on patrols."

"Elysia!" Mumud called out, floating just outside the tower doors. His voice was raspy but urgent.

"There is a massive clash of energy in the eastern fields. Lord Rudra is fighting there. Against someone very strong." Elysia's eyes went wide. She gasped.

"My Liege has returned? And he is fighting?" She didn't ask any more questions. She just reached down and grabbed the hilt of her silver sword.

"My brother should be out there in the fields. We need to go support them." Elara gripped her wooden staff tightly.

"We need to move now."

"I'm coming too!" Alex said. He grabbed a heavy iron hammer from his belt. He respected Rudra more than anyone. The Lord had guided him toward the path of the Blacksmith Saint. Alex would gladly run into a fight for him. They rushed out of the Alchemy Tower. Mumud quickly drew a blue circle on the ground and teleported the group straight toward the fields. Miles away, near the edge of the wheat fields, Icarus was crouching on a high branch. The scout watched the bright flashes of light exploding in the distance.

He pulled a smooth, black stone from his pocket. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It was a rare communication device. The witches had manufactured less than ten of them. They were extremely expensive to make. Icarus pressed his thumb against the stone.

"Sir Winfred. Sir Kentrick. Do you hear me?" On the dirt road leading back to the territory, Winfred stopped walking. His own black stone hummed in his pocket. Singuled, Dante, Kentrick, and Amelda stopped behind him. They were just returning from a border patrol.

"I hear you, Icarus," Winfred said.

"What is it?"

"The Lord is fighting the Captain in the eastern fields," Icarus reported quietly.

"It is not a simple spar. They are tearing the ground apart." Winfred's eyes widened.

"We are on our way." The old tactician turned to the other knights.

"Move! The Lord and Piaro are clashing!" The knights drew their weapons and sprinted toward the fields. Both groups arrived at the tree line at the exact same time. Mumud, Elysia, Elara, and Alex appeared in a flash of blue light, just as Winfred and the other knights rushed in from the road. They hid behind the tall trees and looked out into the clearing. The sight took their breath away. Rudra was covered in dirt. His black coat whipped in the wind. He was swinging his dark staff, Extortion.

Blue lightning, golden holy light, and black demonic fog sparked wildly off the weapon. He was attacking relentlessly. Piaro held a polished steel sword. The farmer had dirt on his face and sweat dripping from his chin. He was blocking, but he looked heavily pressured. He was constantly getting pushed back.

"Look at that," Kentrick whispered. He lowered his heavy sword, his jaw dropping.

"The Lord is suppressing the Captain." Singuled crossed his bandaged arms. His eyes were wide.

"He is not giving him a single inch to breathe. The Lord has grown incredibly strong." Elysia watched closely. She felt a mix of pride and worry.

"He returned safely... but why are they fighting so hard?" Winfred stroked his beard.

"The Captain is attempting to use his swordsmanship to fight, but his sword is being easily overpowered by simple strength." Out in the field, Piaro grunted as the staff crashed against his sword. His boots slid backward in the dirt. He looked frustrated. He looked at the sword in his hand. Then, he looked at the freshly tilled soil under his boots. The group watched in silence as Piaro paused. The farmer reached down with his left hand and grabbed an iron hand plow resting in the dirt.

The moment Piaro held both tools, the air around him changed completely. A heavy, earthy green aura erupted from his body. It mixed seamlessly with the sharp blue light of his sword energy.

"Here I come, My Lord," Piaro called out. Piaro struck the ground with the plow. He didn't just swing his sword anymore. He wove his farming techniques directly into his attacks. He moved like a man harvesting a field. Rudra swung his staff. Piaro smoothly deflected it with the plow, stepping close. Piaro reached into his pocket. He pulled out a handful of loose dirt and threw it directly into Rudra's eyes.

"Hey!" Rudra yelled. He flinched backward, blinking rapidly as the dust blinded him. While Rudra was blind, Piaro brought his sword down hard on Rudra's chest. The hit knocked the breath out of Rudra. He crashed into the dirt. Piaro stood over him, breathing heavily. The tip of his sword pointed down at Rudra. The knights watching from the tree line stood completely dead silent.

"Did he just... throw mud?" Amelda stuttered, her eyes wide. Elysia's face turned bright red. She sheathed her sword with a loud, angry click. She stomped out of the trees and marched straight toward the clearing, where Rudra and Piaro were now laughing.

"Brother!" Elysia yelled. Piaro froze. He slowly turned around. When he saw his sister stomping toward him, the calm, peaceful aura of the farmer vanished instantly. He started sweating bullets.

"Elysia," Piaro stammered. He lowered his sword and tried to quickly hide the hand plow behind his back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you just throw mud in the Duke's eyes?!" Elysia scolded him loudly. She pointed a finger right at his chest.

"He is our Lord! You do not throw dirt at your Liege! And you struck him so hard he fell over! Have you lost your manners entirely?" Piaro shrank back. He looked exactly like an older brother getting yelled at by his little sister.

"It... it is a valid farming tactic. The soil creates openings. The Lord told me not to hold back."

"That is no excuse for bad manners!" she yelled. While Piaro was busy getting lectured and sweating nervously, Rudra sat up in the dirt. He rubbed his chest with a gloved hand and laughed.

"Character Observation," Rudra whispered under his breath.